Multiple film handling device



May 14, 1935. B. BURNS Er AL y 2,001,322

MULTIPLE FILM IIANDLING' DEVICE Filed April 25, 1951 s sheets-sheet 1 ,4fro/@NEX May 14, 1935. B. BURNS E1' AL MULTIPLI? FILM HANDLING DEVICEFiled April 25, 1951 3 .Sheets-Shea?I 2 @race 5 arms,

Howard 6W/2s, y

LLM M May 14, 1935. B. BURNS Erm. 2,001,322

MULTIPLE FILM HANDLING DEVICE Filed April 25, 1931' 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Afro/UVEK atented 'May 14, 1935 y Bruce Burns and Calif., assignors,

by means we. Hughes industries Co., Ltd., Les

G DE

B. Lewis, Los zijn:

a cornorationoi Delaw Application April 25, 1931, v

= No. traste ,7 claims. (ci. st ie) Our invention relates to motionpicture ilm handling equipment, and relates particularly to a lmhandling device which may be employed y as a drier or for the purpose ofexposing to gases or gas-'containing atmospheres. In View of the factthat our present invention is especially valuable as a drier for motionpicture lm which has been previously carried through a process such asdeveloping and washing, or coloring, the invention will be hereinafterdisclosed principally as a motionpicture iilm drier adapted to dehydratea relatively large number of illm strips simultaneously.

It is an object of `our invention to provide a device of this characterincluding passages and means for guiding lms to be treated through thepassages, together with means for conditioning air and causing thisconditioned air to ow through the iilm passages so as to engage thefaces of the iilms.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple form of lmtreating device having an elongated duct with lm passages or channelsformed in the exterior Walls of the duct, and having adjustable louversor other aperture means in the wall structure of the duct for conductingatinosphere from the interior of the duct into the lm passages orchannels.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a duct havingsubstantially vertical or upright side walls, lm guide means for guidinglm horizontally along the exterior faces of the side walls, horizontalwall members extending outwardly from the side walls between thelongitudinally guided lm forming longitudinal-` channels in which thefilms travel, cover members placed vertically in spaced relationship tothe side walls of the duct so as to enclose a film space or passage onthe side of'the duct, it being preferable to provide these cover memberswith glass panes through which the film may be viewed as it travelsthrough the channels, and openings in the side walls of the duct forconducting :duid or 'gas from the duct into the lm channels.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a construction whichpermits changes to be readily made in the direction of air dow relativeto nlm travel, or the proportion of air which is introduced at dierentpoints along the course of the film path.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive,and practical construction wherein the foregoing and'other objects ofthe invention may be embodied, this construction being describedhereinafter. y

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be made evidentthroughout the following part of the specication.

Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only,

Fig. l is an elevational view withthe cover or outer wall members of theillm handling device, removed.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on a plane represented by theline 2--2 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section on a plane representedby the line l3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged longitudinal section on a planerepresented by the line t-t of mgl 3. l

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section on a plane represented by theline `5 5 of Fig. 1.

, Fig. 6 ifs a cross section on a plane represented by the line 5 6 ofFig. l.

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail taken on a plane represented by the line"i-l of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a detail of diagrammatic character showing a pulling andwinding devicey which may be employed to move the lm strips through thelm treating device, the elements shown in Fig. 8 being positionedadjacent the line 8 3 of Fig. 1 when the line 2' of Fig. 8is placed soas to coincide with the line of Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawings, the preferred embodiment of our inventionincludes a film carrying means il and a means i2 for conditioning afluid or gas which is to be moved in engagement with the lm carried bythe means H, this fluid conditioning means I2 consisting in thisembodiment of the invention of an air drierl i3 and a temperaturestabilizer It interconnected by a duct i5. A fan or blower i6 forces airthrough the drier i3 which dehumidies the air by use of refrigeration.The air then passes through the temperature stabilizer it which hasheating coils for raising the air to a desired temperature, and the airthen passes through an air conduit il to an elongated air duct I8forming part of the film carrying means Il.

The air duct i8 may vary in length from fty feet to several hundredfeet, depending upon the character of treatment to be given the film andalso kdepending upon the speed at which the iilm is to be moved throughthe device. The duct IB includes a bottom wall 2li, a top wall 2 i andside wall structures 22 which,

are substantially vertical and are secured by means of longitudinalangles 23 in position spaced within the edges of the walls or plates 2tand 2l so that edge portions 2t of the bottom and top walls 2@ and 2lproject horizontally beyond the upright or vertical wall structures 22,as shown in Fig. 2. Along the edgesof the edge portions 2t, channelmembers 25 are secured, and in these channel members staggered oroverlapping sliding doors 2S equipped with glass panes 27 are mounted,these glass doors 26 providing the cover members or outer walls of filmpassages 28 winch extend along the side wall structure 22 of the ductI6.

Film guide means for guiding a plurality of films 3| longitudinally in.superimposed relationship through the lm passages 28 are provided invthe form of inlet rollers 32, intermediate rollers 33, and outletrollers 34. As best shown in Fig. 5, these rollers 33 are mounted onstub shafts 35 which project horizontally from the side wall structures22. In Fig. 5,` the inner ends of the stub shafts 35 project throughopenings 36 in a vertical plate 31 and a flange of a reinforcing anglemember 38 forming part of the side wall structures 22, but various other`methods of mounting the rollers 32, 33, and 34 may be readily employed.

Between the lms 3|, horizontal wall members `III extend laterally fromthe side wall structures 22v into the nlm passages 28, thus dividing thelxn passages 28 into a plurality of longitudinal iilrn channels- 4|through which the individual lengths of film 3| travel. The dividingwalls 46 are made in the form oi' flat trays having uptumed flanges 42and 43 along the edges thereof,l the inner flanges 43 being secured tovertical bars 44 which are in turnsecured to and form part of the sidewall structures 22. 'I'he dividing walls are not continuous throughoutthe entire length of the passages 28 but are interrupted, as shown inFig. l, so as to provide vertical spaces 45 in which the rollers 33 andtheir supporting shafts 35 are positioned.

As shown in Figs. .1, 3 and 4, the side wall structures 22 include anumber of louver sections or aperture means 46 having verticallyextended pivoted louvers 41 providing variable passages communicatingbetween the interior of the duct I8 and the lrn passages so that fluid,such as conditioned air, may pass from the duct I8 into the channels 4|formed in the film passages 28 by the walls 46, as indicated by arrows46 of Fig. 4. Following the louver sections, as indicated in Figs. 1and6 the side wall structures 22 include exhaust or fluid outletsections 56 which consist of inwardly sloping longitudinal walls 5| andupwardly diverging triangular end walls 52 forming, in communicationwith the film channels 4|, the upwardly diverging outlet orJ exhaustpassages having their outlets` 54 in the top wall 2| of the duct I8, asbest shown in Fig. 6, and being equipped with doors or closure means 54apivoted at 55 and having handles 55a. The treating uid or conditionedair passes into the duct I8 through the delivery member I1, as indicatedby arrows 56, and travels rearwardly or rightwardly through the duct I8,portions ofthis treating fluid passing outwardly through the respectivelouver 'sections 46 into the lm channels 4| of the film passages 28 inproportions controlled by the setting of 4the louvers 41, travels alongthe film channels 4|, producing therein a desired treatment of thelengths of film 3|, and discharges into the open atmosphere through thefluid outlets 50," as indicated by arrows 58 in Fig. 6. It will berecognized that the number .and size of the louver sections 46 andoutlet sections 50 may be varied in accordance with the length of thetreating device and the type of treatment 'for which the device is to beemployed. Although the manner in which the lms 3| are conducted into thetreating or drying device is of small importance, we have showndiagrammatically in Fig. '1 the lower portion of a film \handling deviceII mounted on a-iloor 63. On a lower iloor 6 I are mounted preliminaryfilm treatof the lms 3| are carried over rollers 61 and 66 from whichthe pairs of illms pass, as indicated at 63, to inlet rollers 32 whichare mounted in pairs as shown and are disposed in offset relationship asshown in Fig. 1, so that the axes oi the rollers 32 will lie in asloping plane A-A. In side elevation, the portions of the iilmsindicated at 63 are dispo'd substantially as shown in Fig. 1.

close together to prevent sagging of the films into engagement with thehorizontal wall members 46 during the operation of the device.ltensionto hold the illms 3| taut is exerted by Ample -The intermediaterollers 33 are spaced suillciently pulling means placed at or adjacentthe rightward or outlet end of the device for the purpose of pulling thefilms 3| through the drier and also through the previous treatment towhich the illms are subjected. v

In Fig. '1 we have shown preliminary dehydrating means 1| consisting ofair nozzles 12 which are connected through pipes 13 with air headers 14.These air nozzles direct blasts of air downwardly against the faces ofthe films 3| and remove free liquids therefrom so that when ythe illmsenter thedrying device, there are practical- Yly no drops of waterthereon, and the moisture then to be removed from the illms is thatwhich has been absorbed into the film structure.

From the outlet rollers 34 shown in Fig. 1, the films 3| are conducted,as shown at 16. In Fig.

8 we diagrammatically show one of the films 3| extending over a sprocket11 which forms a pulling device for pulling the film in a manner toproduce movement thereof through the developing, washing, anddrying'steps of a film treatarm 6I by means of an arm 86, tends torotate the arm 8| in leftward direction so as to hold the lm reelagainst a friction driving spool 81 which is mounted on a shaft 88.'I'his diagrammatic disclosure, Fig. 8, is merely for the purpose ofshowing one form of pulling means which may be used in the practice ofour invention. It is to be understood that each of the lms 3| extends toa pulling sprocket 11 and is then wound upon its individual nlm reel 18,but owing to the fact that there are many ways in which the films may bepulled or wound, this part of the invention is shown as simply aspossible.

'Ihe louvers 41 have pivots 36 at the upper and lower ends thereofestablishing vertical axes of rotation for the louvers 41, and they arelinked together by a bar 3| so that they will all swing in unison. Aprojecting handle 32 enables the operator to swing these louvers 41 fromclosed position through the positions in which they are shown in fulllines in Fig. 4 to oppositely faced positions, such as 'indicated bydotted lines 93. By manipulation of the louvers, the direction of theair discharged into the nlm channels may be, controlled so as to beeither forwardly or rearwardly, or a number of louver sections 46 and anumber of outlets 64 may be entirely closed oil so as to cause the airto travel a considerable distance along the lm passages before beingdischarged. As shown in Fig. 1, the ends of the film channels areblocked oi by Walls 95 which restrict the passage of air through theends of the lm pamages. Therefore, it is possible by opening the rstlouver, closing all of the remaining louvers, opening the door 54a ofthe last outlet 54, and closing the rest of the outlets 54, to cause theair to enter the front ends of the film passages and to travel the fulllength thereof before being discharged into the open.

Although we have herein shown and described our invention in simple andpractical form, it is recognized that certain parts or elements thereofare representative of other parts, elements, or mechanisms which may beused in substantially the same manner to accomplish substantially thesame results; therefore, it is to be understood that the invention isnot to be limited to the. details disclosed herein but is to be accordedthe full scope of the following. claims.

We claim Vas our invention:

1. A film handling device of the character described, including: Wallsforming an elongated horizontal duct having an upright side wallstructure; a film passage formed along said side wall structure, therebeing removable cover means forming the outer wall of' said film passageand a plurality of horizontal walls extending from said side wallstructure so as to form a plurality ol film channels in said filmpassage; aperture means in said side wall structure profvidingcommunication between said duct and said film passage; wall membersforming part of said side wall structure and sloping upwardly towardseach other and being placed so as to form upwardly enlarging fluidoutlet passages connecting with said lm channels; and means forproducing a flow of fluid through said aperture means.

2. A film handling device of the character described, including: wallsforming an elongated horizontal duct having an upright side wallstructure on each side thereof; a film passage formed along each of saidside wall structures, said side wall structure providing a side wall ofeach of said passages and having portions converging upwardly to outletsfrom said film passages; aperture means in said side wall structure oneach side of said outlets and providing communication between said ductand said film passages; means for producing a fiow of fluid through saidaperture means; and control means for varying the rate of 'flow of fluidthrough said aperture means.

3. A film handling device of the character described; including: wallsforming an elongated horizontal duct having an upright side wallstructure on each side thereof; a lm passage formed along each kof saidside wall structures, said side wall structure providing a side wall ofeach of said passages and having portions converging upwardly to outletsfrom said film passages; aperture means in said side wall structure oneach side of said outlets and providing communication between said ductand said film passages; means for producing a flow of fluid through saidaperture means; and control meansassociated with each of said aperturemeans for varying the quantity and direction of iiow of fluid into saidfilm passages.

4. A lm handling device of the character described, including: wallsforming an elongated horizontal duct having uprightvsides; a filmpassage formed along each of said upright sides; aperture means in saidupright sides providing communication between said duct vand. said filmpassages; supporting means associated with said upright side walls forsupporting a plurality of lms during their horizontal movement throughsaid passages; and a plurality of rollers for directing said lms ontosaid supporting means, the plane of the axes of said rollers decliningtowards the outlet end of said passages.

5. A nlm handling deviceV of the character described, including: wallsforming an elongated horizontal duct having an upright side wallstructure; a iilxn passage formed along'said side wall structure; aplurality of horizontal walls disposed within said film passage inspaced vertical relationship to form a plurality of film channelstherethrough; a plurality of lm supports associated with each of saidhorizontal walls and so disposed as to carry a separate motion picturefilm out of contact with said horizontal wall; means for pulling saidseparate motion picture lms through each of said film channels whilesaid films are carried by said film supports in their respective filmchannels; aperture means in said side Wall structure providingcommunication between said duct and said iilmy passage;

and means for producing a now' of iiuid through said aperture means. l

6. A film handling device of the character described, including: wallsforming an elongated horizontal duct having an upright side wallstructure; a film passage formed along said side wall structure, therebeing removable cover means forming the outer wall of said film passageand a plurality of horizontal walls extending from saidl side wallstructure so as to form a plurality o f lm channels in said filmpassage; a plurality of rollers associated with each of said horizontalwalls and so disposed as to support a separate motion picture film outof contact with said horizontal wall; means for pulling said separatemotion picture films through each of said iilm channels while saidseparate films are supported by said rollers in said respective filmchannels; aperture means in said side wal1struc.

ture providing communication betweenv said duct and said lm passage; andmeans for produc-v ing a flow of fluid through said aperture means.

7. A film handling device of the character described, including: wallsforming an elongated horizontal duct having an upright side wallstructure; a'iilm passage formed along said side wall structure, therebeing removable cover means forming the outer wall of said film passageand arplurality of horizontal walls extending from said side wallstructure so as to form a plurality.

